Another water crisis looms
Credit to Author: JORDEENE B. LAGARE| Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2019 16:18:03 +0000
RESIDENTS of Metro Manila and some cities in Cavite province, especially those being serviced by Maynilad Water Services Inc., have been advised to prepare for
service interruptions as the water level in Angat Dam continues to dip.
On Wednesday, Maynilad urged its customers to stock up on water as the company may again implement rotational water interruption services in the next few days.
“Madalang ang pag-ulan sa Angat at Ipo Watersheds nitong nakaraang araw, kaya’t unti-unting bumababa ang tubig sa Angat at Ipo Dams (Rains had been scarce at Angat and Ipo Dams, their water levels had declined),” Maynilad said in a statement.
“Kaya nais naming bigyang abiso ang mga Maynilad customers na mag-ipon ng tubig dahil posibleng ipatupad muli ang daily rotational water interruption, sakaling hindi pa rin umulan ng sapat sa mga watersheds at tuluyang maubos ang tubig na ipon sa aming reservoirs (We are advising our customers to stock up on water because it is possible that we will again implement daily rotational water interruption if our supply in reservoirs will dip),” it added.
The West Zone concessionaire said some areas in the cities of Navotas, Muntinlupa, Manila, Malabon, Makati, Las Piñas, Caloocan, Parañaque, Pasay, Quezon, and Valenzuela may have little to no water supply in the coming days.
Bacoor City, Cavite City, Kawit City, Noveleta City, and Rosario City in Cavite, as well as Bulacan, may also have limited water supply.
“At dahil nananatili sa 40 cubic meters per second (m3/s) lamang — mula sa normal na 48 m3/s — ang kasalukuyang alokasyon ng tubig mula sa Angat Dam, kapos ang raw water supply na pumapasok sa Ipo Dam at sa treatment facilities ng Maynilad (Because the water allocation from Angat Dam remains at 40 m3/s — from the normal
allocation of 48 m3/s — the raw water supply entering Ipo Dam and Maynilad’s treatment facilities are not enough),” the company added.
On Wednesday morning, water level at Angat Dam was 187.54 m3. The normal operating level is 210 m3.
Water level at Ipo Dam was 100.76 m3. Its normal operating level is 101 m3. La Mesa Dam, meanwhile, measured 77.87 m3, down from its normal operating level of 80.15 m3.
Weather forecaster Lorie dela Cruz said the water level in these dams could decline further because there are no brewing storms.
Surprise
Maynilad’s warning prompted Laban Konsyumer Inc. (LKI) to ask the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) to investigate these “surprise service interruptions.”
“The surprise service interruptions should be promptly investigated by the NWRB as well as the MWSS. This service interruption could be putting consumers on the defensive end even when there is no technical basis to do so,” LKI President Victorio Mario Dimagiba said in a message to The Manila Times.
Early this year, taps in Metro Manila and the provinces of Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan went dry. The water crisis that lasted until August infuriated President Rodrigo Duterte, who gave MWSS officials a tongue-lashing.
With FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO